


Friends Don't Let Friends Stay in the Anxiety Zone

by FandomHOP



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Duck spends like half of the fic in what I like to call an anxiety spiral, Duck's not okay, Gen, Leo's there as support of the support, Light Angst, Ned's trying to help out, and has banter with the other two for the other half, post episode 20
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 20:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19875754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomHOP/pseuds/FandomHOP
Summary: Right now he was too busy giving a fuck about literally everything else....Duck's less than fine after he loses his powers, but at least he still has a good friend.





	Friends Don't Let Friends Stay in the Anxiety Zone

Duck stared up at the ceiling feeling the floor against his back. Passively, he noted, probably not the first he noted it, that he was wearing a unzipped hoodie, some blank white t-shirt and black slacks. Not his 'iconic look,' sure, but right now he couldn't give a fuck about that.

Right now he was too busy giving a fuck about literally everything else.

Duck's mind was going a-goddamned-amount-of-too-fucking-fast per hour. He was thinking about anything and everything that has and has never happened. It was like his brain was going so fast that it was going slow, his mind barely chugging along. It was, frankly, a miracle any of his involuntary functions were still working.

Really, what a way to top off a shitty week. Certainly, if this put didn't put the holiday spirit in him...

Duck felt himself falling back into his, lets say, anxiety spiral; he started back into thinking about his lack of toughness, how close to death he could be at any moment. All of the moments in his life where he should have died. All of the things that basically put the fear of existing into him.

_.... ..... ....._

He was a forest ranger, he was suppose to go out there, where the wild shit lived. He was in the Pine Guard- fuck, the Pine Guard! How was he supposed to do anything there now? He was a fucking easy ass target now that he couldn't do a damn thing.

_.... .... .nock_

He-

Wait.

_...ck knock knock knock knock_

Someone was at the front door.

"Duck?"

Oh. Hey, it was Ned. How long had he been there for?

"Duuuuck?" Ned's voice carried a bit as he held the syllable hostage, stretching out his name. Even though his voice was muffled, Duck could hear an edge to Ned's voice. A sort of worried edge.

Shit, what day was it again? He'd decided to use his vacation time to take the time he needed to... uh, cope, he figured, and Leo'd been helping him out by checking in on him, but Duck hadn't talked to Ned or Aubrey since the Heathcliff thin-

 _knock knock knock_ "Uh, hey there, Duck-buddy, you wouldn't happen to be up, would you?"

 _Ah shit. Ned's real worried now._ He had to say something, make some noise.

And so he did. Probably.

Duck did make a noise. It, well, it sounded what you imagine a banshee going through puberty would make, or maybe a dying dolphin. It was croaky and stretched out and, even though it was certainly a noise, it was by no means pleasant or reassuring.

Duck paused, after what felt like both too much and too little time, trying to hear Ned's reaction.

Ned, for his part, was also taking a pause. Duck couldn't hear anything, and before he could slip back into his brain, Ned started to pipe up.

"Are you okay in there, friend?"

 _No. Clearly not._ But he wasn't going to say that.

Or anything else, because Ned tried again. His voice sounded a bit nervous, if not shaky.

"Um, all right then. Uh, scream if you're okay, say nothing if you're not."

Duck's brain searched for a moment, considering the possible effects of screaming in a shared building, and clearly Ned's had caught up, because he heard Ned try again.

"Shit! Um, hold on, do it the other way! Scream if you're not okay, don't if you are."

At least he's trying, Duck figured, but he found he couldn't put any effort into screaming either way. Whatever noise he'd made before was as good as it was getting.

At this point, he could hear what sounded like Leo Tarkesian's door opening, because it was followed by his voice talking. It was a bit low, and Duck couldn't figure the words that he or Ned were saying. It was probably about Duck.

Duck, for his part, started trying to find a solid thought to hang onto, anything that wasn't about the fragility of man or shit like that, but before he could get a grip on that, there was a click as Ned came in. Duck looked up from his up-right starfish position to see Ned in one of his jackets, the reddish "rust" one, with a white plastic bag with stuff in it. He held a key in the other hand, a key Duck recognized as a spare he lent to Leo.

Ned himself had a concerned look his face. "Ah" was the only thing he said, but Duck figured he had more to say.

Duck then watched as Ned handed the spare back to Leo and put his bag on a table that was next to the couch before moving over to where Duck was. An "omph!" and some grunting could be heard as Duck felt himself being slowly lifted from the ground.

"Ffff- You are a very heavy man, my friend. It would help if you could - mmff - help in this endeavor."

Duck, for his part, felt himself be slightly less sluggish as he snipped back with what he thought was a witty remark.

"You know Ned, maybe you should consider doing CrossFit with me instead of eating weird ass shit like hot pocket gruel. Could probably help with getting tough like your ol' pal Duck Newton."

Ned let out a laugh (that only sounded kind of forced) as Duck tried to push himself off the floor. He succeeded in that a bit, but more just pushed the two men up to the couch, where Ned struggled, but managed, to position Duck onto the couch, slumped but seated.

Duck pulled his head back onto the couch, slowly adjusting to getting comfy, when he looked up to see Leo looking at the scene. He looked uncomfortable, like he was embarrassed by seeing Duck down in the slumps.

Like he was upset that he let Duck get sad on the floor, rather that picking him up.

Like it was his job to-

Duck's thought process was interrupted as he felt Ned put a cold can of something into his hands, already opened. Duck took a sip absentmindedly, not even looking at whatever it was he was drinking, and felt the cold liquid go into his body and, probably, clear him up a little. Probably good to have something in his system.

Duck's eyelids rapidly blinked a few times as he looked at the can before looking at Ned. "Uh, hey, what time is it?" He asked, blearily.

Ned simply looked through his non-branded grocery bag, looking for something. Without a moment's hesitation or looking back, he answered with "Time to get a watch, my friend!" and started laughing loudly.

The laughter was contagious, as Duck and Leo joined in, admit not as emphatically. Duck finally got himself seated as he wanted before looking at Leo and moving his drink up, as if offering. "Wanna take a seat there, Leo?" Duck offered.

Leo, who for his part, resting pose with his hands crossed and leaning against a wall, put a hand up as a 'no thanks' gesture. "Ah, no thanks, Duck. I, uh, appreciate the offer, but I'll have to pass. I was just helping your, uh..." he drifted off a bit, looking to Ned for a fitting title.

Ned was still sifting through his bag for something, so Duck nudged him. It worked as Ned did a double take before looking up at Leo before clearing his throat. "Ah, yes, uh, you know, we're friends. Partners. Co-workers-of-a-sort. Amigos! We're-"

Leo cut him off and he shook his head. "Uh, yeah, whatever works. Anyways Duck, I was just helping your buddy here, he seemed a bit nervous about not seeing you after, ya know, like almost a week, so-"

Duck straightened up in his seat. "What, hold on, was I out of it for a week?!"

Leo himself straighten up and put his hands up, shaking them as if trying to calm Duck down. "No, no, I wouldn't've let you just sit in there for a week. It's, uh..." Leo put his hand to his mouth, as if to think on it, before getting back to it, "Well, uh, it's been like two or three days of you just chilling out, thinking. You, uh, probably should've called your friends up, though, there, Duck."

Duck sighed before slamming quietly against the couch, and Leo went back to his neutral position. There was a lull as the only noise was of Ned shifting through the plastic bag before finally picking out a bag of seasoned nuts or something and his own drink, which, Duck noted, was grape soda. He still didn't look at or try to guess his own.

Leo let out a cough behind his hand as he moved to get up and moved to shake Ned's hand. "Welp, I'm gonna get going back to my apartment now, you two have yourself a good afternoon there."

Ned put his hand out, completing the handshake. "You as well yourself there, Mister..."

"It's, uh, Leo Tarkesian. We're around the same age and I ain't at work, so it's cool to just call me by my actual adult name."

"Ah, yes," Ned said, a closed eye smile before opening to a quizzical face. "You know, it's funny. Kepler's just filled to the brim with fun characters named after animals. Duck, Leo... It's not just me, right?"

Leo shrugged. "Ah, well, you know, it probably just means that fate or destiny's got a great ol' sense of humor, you know?"

Ned looked back at Leo with a straight face, no discernible expression to be seen. "You ever think Fate's a furry?"

Leo's amicable demeanor shut down to what Duck could only describe as a mixture of horror, confusion, and a real struggle to not think about the words that were just said. Without looking at anyone in the eye, Leo gave a "see you later, Duck," before turning around and going out the door, slamming it behind him.

Duck took about a second longer before bursting into hysterical laughter, managing a "what the fuck, Ned?!" in between bouts. After what felt like 5 whole minutes of laughter, but was probably less or more than that, Duck had finally calmed down, sighing deeply as he put his hands on his face. (He probably put his drink down at some point.)

Taking a moment before looking at Ned, he saw a soft smile under his beard, probably just glad Duck wasn't still a puddle of anxiety at this point. Breathing a deep sigh, he picked up his drink and took a swig, quenching a bit of his thirst. He finally looked at the label and saw it was some store brand cream soda - the clear kind, not the pink one - before looking back at Ned.

"So," he started, "Why'd you come here, Ned?"

Ned's smile faded a bit, but the genuineness of his expression was still there. "I'm just here because I haven't had a good conversation in some time, and I figured, well, after the week you had, you could use the company."

Duck appreciated the sentiment, but him being reminded of how everything had gone this week set something off. He burst.

"Well yeah, Ned, it's sure been a fucking week I've had. I haven't had a night's worth of sleep, one, maybe two of my friends are fucking dead, I've been chasing around a fucking tree keepin' my other friends from kickin' it, my powers are gone, and everythin' I've ever thought I knew about them wasn't fuckin' true either, because it turns out I wasn't the only one chosen, but I sure as hell am gonna be the last one, because the moment I walk out my front door, I'm gonna fuckin' be a in constant state of fuckin' beefing it the next time I even so much as start living my life! So yeah, Ned, it's been a fucking week!"

Duck was heaving as he finished, taking a moment to actually look at Ned who, for his part, looked...

Ned looked real fucking concerned now. He had what could only be described as a concerned grimace as he put his snacks back onto the couch-side table where his store bought snacks had come from and looked down at his pants. After a moment and a sigh from Ned, he looked back up at Duck, trying his best to comfort him.

"Listen, Duck. I..."

Duck wouldn't have it. He shook his head and tried his best to collect his composure.

"No, listen Ned. That was selfish of me, I shouldn't have snapped at you, I've, uh, just been tired and..." Duck took a second and shook his head. That's not how you apologize. "Well, it's no excuse."

Ned paused and nodded his head. "I understand my friend, life has thrown you a massive curve ball. I get it. Really." He had a sad smile. "But sitting in here, lying on the floor, I don't think it's good for you, or your health, and," he put a hand up, as if counting or pointing up at something, "I believe that going through with something bad for your health would be simply greeting death to come closer."

Duck chuckled and shook his head. "Real rich coming from you, Ned Sugar-Loaded Chicane, to tell me how to live my life healthily."

Ned laughed back. "Ah yes, well, you know the saying; do as I say, not as I do."

He looked back at Duck before continuing. "So, Duck, what do you think we shall do. Go to a bar and drink our fears away, maybe stop by the Amnesty Lodge and get Barclay to whip us up something nice. Oh!" and he clapped his hands together suddenly, "Maybe we can stop by the Ember Wolf-"

"Wolfember."

"Wolfember, yes, thank you Duck, and pick up ourselves some of that good french onion soup! I know that might help you out, and it wouldn't hurt to eat something, now would it?"

Right there, as if on cue, Duck's stomach made a very audible noise. He frowned non-seriously as he looked down before looking back at Ned.

Ned made a face like he had been reading a cue from Duck's reaction, adding "Food's on me, my friend. What'd'say?"

Duck gave a non-committal shrug, before getting up and standing in place. "So, do you think I should go out in uniform or like this?" He asked, gesturing to the hoodie and slacks he'd been in for must have been two days at this point.

Ned grimaced and looked him over, before shaking his head. "I think it would be better to first shower, my friend. Can't have all of Kepler in a panic because their local forest ranger looks like a hooligan. Imagine the gossip, the drama, the-"

Duck gave out a forced laugh as he threw his hands up. "I get it," he said, letting his hands go back to his sides, before rubbing the back of his neck. He looked around the apartment before giving one last sigh, and, turning to Ned, added a thought; "Think we should get the Lady Flame in on this soup train?"

Ned gave a face, and Duck could swear there was something else there other than him being cheap, before sighing and nodding. "It wouldn't hurt to introduce her to the power of Hubert's special stuff."

Duck gave what could only be called a scoff of shock. "Ned, shit man, don't call it that or I'm out!"

Ned gave out a hearty chuckle and Duck seriously wanted to ask where all this weird shit Ned was saying was spawning from, but he figured it was just Ned's way of lighting up the mood. Giving a shrug, he turned down the hall, getting himself ready for going out to eat.

It's not it was going to solve all of his problems, but it would at least put a nice ending to the shit week he had. _Couldn't hurt to try._

**Author's Note:**

> [So. I thought about the whole story of this last night and, after being encourage by myself for doing a fic yesterday, wrote another one today. I write this stuff out on Notepad (the app, not actual physical paper) so I never know how much I've written until I post.]
> 
> [To be honest, there's a few things that inspired this one. First, really, is that Arc 3 is such a ride, and in-universe, takes 4 days compared to the normal 2 (yes, most of the arcs take place over 2 days) and, honestly, listening and re-listening to it, Duck just had a hell of a time.]
> 
> [The second thing is, ironically, I re-caught up to all of The Adventure Zone at around episode 24, and leading up to episode 28, I emotionally clung onto Duck and Ned's friendship, and then preceded to get emotionally wrecked at the letter scene. My soul still stings, and I'm still cling to it now, and I figured that there wasn't enough "Ned and Duck are good friends" content, so now this exists.]
> 
> [Also, during the writing process, I, like any valid writer, ended up projecting and exaggerating some of my own traits and thoughts onto the characters a bit. Duck with his sort of mental spiral, as I do that when the fear feels real, and Ned, with him trying his best and also saying some wack ass shit.]
> 
> [Anyways, this is probably real long, so just know that I worked hard on it and I constantly seek validation for my work and effort. Thanks for reading.]


End file.
